Because ÖVP "does nothing"

Russian espionage: NEOS want to convict Kickl

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

The NEOS have announced that they want to take a closer look at Russian influence operations in Austria. At the center: FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl. Party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger made wild accusations during a press conference on Tuesday.

Instead of the political theater surrounding Lena Schilling, the NEOS would rather talk about the espionage affair and Russian influence in Austria. At a press conference on Tuesday, the pink party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger took aim at former Interior Minister and current FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl and called for a task force to investigate whether Kickl "may have smashed our intelligence service as an extension of the Russian secret service".

FPÖ as Marsalek stooge?
Meinl-Reisinger referred to a recent article published in the European news magazine "Politico", which traces the espionage affair surrounding the fugitive Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek and the ex-BVT chief inspector Egisto Ott and their alleged links to the FPÖ. Meinl-Reisinger said that she sometimes felt like she was in a "bad Hollywood or spy movie", except that this was really about the security of the country and the population.

According to Meinl-Reisinger, the media report shows that Marsalek had seen his chance to influence the domestic intelligence service as a Russian agent on behalf of Russia via the FPÖ's participation in government at the time.

NEOS see Russian agendas with Kickl
She recalled the illegal raid on the then Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT) under Kickl, which had massively damaged the reputation of the intelligence service. This meant that the blue party leader was in fact "working for the Russian secret service", "who wanted exactly that".

Either Kickl was "a useful idiot for Putin" or "he knew what he was doing", and that would be "a major scandal" with criminal relevance in the direction of treason, the NEOS leader explained.

Interior Minister Karner does nothing.

NEOS-Chefin Meinl-Reisinger

In any case, Meinl-Reisinger misses any "activity" by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) in the whole case: "Is he really sleeping in a pendulum clock?" Meinl-Reisinger believes it is his job to clear up and tidy things up, but: "Interior Minister Karner is doing nothing." Although the NEOS continue to insist on a committee of inquiry into Russia, this is no longer an option before the election.

Russia task force to investigate
However, Meinl-Reisinger believes that we cannot wait any longer, which is why they are calling on Karner to set up a task force. This should be set up in a similar way to the one after the terrorist attack in Vienna and work through everything in the Ministry of the Interior. The task force should look into the following: "Did Mr. Kickl possibly (...) smash our intelligence service as an extension of the Russian secret service?"

The NEOS recently made significant gains in the polls:

In any case, the EU elections on June 9 are about ensuring a strong Europe that is resilient against Russia. We must not "allow those who are actually playing Putin's game to control the levers of power".